The Federal Security Force (FSF) was a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

and

secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...

force in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

from 1972 to 1977. The FSF was established by then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

as a task force of the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

as a substitute for the use of the

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...

in civilian affairs. It was mainly to serve as protection for civil leadership such as the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

, and assisting the government and police in maintaining law and order. The FSF was disbanded by military dictator

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until Death of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also se ...

after Bhutto was overthrown in the 1977 Pakistani military coup.

History

The Federal Security Force was established in 1972 by

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

, the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

at the time, as a

force under the direct control of the

. Its formation was a response to a

police strike A police strike is a potential tactic when law enforcement workers are embroiled in a labour dispute. Sometimes military personnel are called in to keep order or discipline the strikers. Police strikes have the potential to cause civil unrest. Li ...

in March 1972, which raised concerns about the reliability of existing

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

institutions and the potential for increased

civil unrest Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to maintain public order or tranquility. Causes Any number of things may cause civil di ...

. The FSF also served as a civilian armed force to balance with the

, which was deeply involved in the politics of Pakistan and had ruled the country from 1958 to 1971. At its peak, the FSF comprised over 15,000 personnel. Its primary responsibilities included assisting the police in maintaining order, securing political events, surveilling political opponents and, in some instances, using violence to suppress opposition. The FSF also engaged in intelligence collection aimed at countering opposition parties and identifying potential threats. Haq Nawaz Tiwana was the FSF's first

director general A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

, later replaced by Masood Mahmood, a former British Indian Police Service officer and a

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

law graduate. Mahmood's tenure saw a close collaboration with Bhutto, but shifted allegiance to Zia-ul-Haq following the reopening of the Nawab Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri murder case and he testified against Bhutto, contributing to his execution. The necessity and motives behind the FSF's establishment have been subjects of debate. Critics argue that its creation was driven by Bhutto's desire to suppress opposition and instill fear among political adversaries. The FSF was implicated in several violent incidents, including the killing of Nazir Ahmad, a Jamaat-i-Islami leader, and the Liaquat Bagh shooting in 1973, which resulted in numerous casualties. The FSF's legitimacy as a coup-prevention unit came under scrutiny, and its operations increasingly attracted public criticism. The FSF was officially disbanded in July 1977 by Zia-ul Haq administration. After its disestablishment in 1977, cases were opened against FSF officials Mian Abbas, Arshad Iqbal, Ghulam Mustafa, and Rana Iftikhar and were later sentenced to death for extrajudicial killings.

References

{{Law enforcement in Pakistan Government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto 1972 establishments in Pakistan 1977 disestablishments in Pakistan Former paramilitary forces of Pakistan Secret police Defunct government departments and agencies of Pakistan Government agencies established in 1972 Government agencies disestablished in 1977